Reducing valve



May 28, 1935. B. l.. ROBART ET AL REDUCING VALVE Filed June 20, 1932 n L. o m m w P w L. ,m

m M N of ,m 3 7 M M 6 3/ @S E 22 m .m 4 4 2 uvff; am 2 2 2 Url/sx i A l. Il 4 4 I. m mfmmww WIWIW@ 2,

. I IML i. r l H 7/ A v\| m Earl P. Bruel! M0/fw@ Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES REDUCING VALVE Braxton L. Robart and Earl P. Buell, Jackson, Mich., assignors to The Robuell Company, a

corporation Application June 20, 1932, Serial No. 618,096

s claims,

'I'his invention relates to an improvement in pressure reducing valves for fluids and has particular application in the reduction of steam or air pressure.

It becomes the primary object of this invention to provide a self regulating reducing valve which may be readily coupled to the high pressure side of a iluid pressure system of uniform or fluctuating pressure and deliver substantially uniform iu predetermined low pressure. I

More specifically stated, one-of the objects of this invention is to provide a reducing valve having a slidable piston valve transversely balanced throughout its length to minimize wear and friction and longitudinally balanced by the low pressure to regulate the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a reducing valve which is automatic in its action yet is constructed of simple cast sections necessitating but little machining.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear as the description of the invention proceeds. It is to be clearly understood, however, that we do not intend to limit ourselves to the exact details shown or described but that we intend to include as part of our invention, all such changes and modifications of parts as would occur to those skilled in this art and would fall within the scope of the claims.

In the drawing where a longitudinal cross sectional view of one form that this invention may take is shown, reference character I generally designates a pressure reducing valve comprising a central sleeve member 2 having flanged ends 3. 35 Upper and lower housings 4 and 5, having flanges 6 and 1, respectively, are secured to the central sleeve member 2 by any well known securing means, for example, by bolts 8 passed through the respective flanges. The sleeve 2 is provided 40 with a circumambient jacket chamber 9 opening into a flanged chamber I0 constituting an inlet port. A port I I is provided in the sleeve 2 opening into the chamber 9. The port II may take any number of forms but it is preferably constructed as an annular slot extending entirely around the sleeve 2 as illustrated.

A piston valve I2 is slidably arranged within the sleeve 2 and extends downwardly into the chamber 5 and is guided at the lower end in an auxiliary sleeve I3 cast within the chamber 5 and defining a port I4, similar to the port I I, between its upper end and the lower end of the sleeve 2. Ports I5 and I6 are arranged in the piston valve I2 intermediate the ends and are spaced a distance equal that between the ports I I and I4. Al-

though our invention is not limited to any particular type, the ports I5 and I9 are preferably positioned at an angle with the longitudinal axis of the piston valve I2 to shorten the travel of the valve necessary to close the ports.

A cap II, having an annularshoulder I8, is secured to the upper end of the piston' valve I2 and an inverted cup-shape member I9 with a flanged edge 2li is secured to the lower end by a bracing rod 2i extended through apertures in the cap I'I and the member I9. 'Ihe ends of the rod 2| are threaded and nuts 22 are drawn up to clamp thecap II and the member I9 to the ends of the piston valve I2.

A circular grooved spring seat 23 is supported on the cap I1 and in turn supports a spring 24 located within the chamber 4. The upper portion of the chamber 4 is provided with a tapped boss 25 into which an adjustment screw 26 is threaded. As illustrated, the end of the screw 26 is positioned in a well 21 in an upper spring seat 28 and is adapted to place the spring 24 under compression to force the piston valve I2 downwardly until the end of the rod 2l contacts with the stop 29 tapped in the plug 3i I'he operation of above described mechanism is as follows: Steam or the like under high pressure is admitted through the inlet port I0 and fills the jacket chamber 9 surrounding the sleeve 2. Under initial conditions, the spring 24 will force the piston valve I2 downwardly to the position shown in the drawing with the restricted ports I5 in the horizontal plane of the port Il in the sleeve 2. In this position the fluid pressure will flow through the ports II and I5 and will expand in the interior of the piston valve I2. When the ports II and I5 are in communication, the ports I4 and: I6 are likewise positioned, and the expanded fluid will flow through the restricted ports into the chamber 29 constituting an outlet port on the low pressure side of the valve when the fluid is again expanded to further reduce the pressure. In actual operation there is invariably present a uctuating high pressure resulting from irregularity at the source as well as a fluctuating low pressure resulting from intermittant consumption or fluctuation of the high pressure. As it is advantageous to maintain a substantially constant low or output pressure, the pressure in the chamber 29 is maintained substantially constant in the following manner independent of the rate of consumption or fluctuation of the high pressure: As the pressure builds up in the chamber 29, at a predetermined pressure, depending upon the adjustment of the screw 26, a back pressure admitted through a plurality of ports l located in the auxiliary sleeve I3 will act against the cup-shaped member 49 to force the Vpiston valve I2 upwardly to partially or perhaps to completelyclose the ports i5 and I6. It will be readily apparent that as the ports i5 and I6 are further restricted less iiuid will be admitted therethrough and the reducing of the pressure will be greater with the result that the piston'valve I2 will oat between the'tension of the spring 24 and the upward pressure against the member I9 to automatically maintain substantially a constant low pressure in the chamber 29.

Obviously the weight of the piston valve or additional weights may be employed in lieu of the spring 24 A/to force the piston downwardly. Likewise, we do not wish to limit the invention to any particular shape of the member i9 as any surface which will transmit an upward pressure from the low pressure side of the reducing valve against the piston valve i2 may be employed.

The dominant feature of our reducing valve resides in transversely balancing a piston valve in a sleeve while floating the piston longitudinally between a uniform downwardly directed force and the upwardly directed force of the back pressure on the low pressure side of the valve.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A fluid pressure regulator comprising a vertical cylindrical sleeve having a flange spaced from the lower end thereof, a horizontal high pressure inlet connection jacketing said sleeve, a housing constituting a horizontal low pressure outlet-connection having a flanged portion telescoping with the lower end of said sleeve and removably secured to said first flange, an auxiliary cylindrical sleeve concentric with said first sleeve and located within and spaced from said housing at the sides and from said first sleeve at the upper end to provide a port, a port in said first sleeve opening into said first jacket, a longitudinally ported hollow piston valve closed at both ends slidably disposed in said sleeves for regulating communication between said inlet and outlet. a by-pass directing low pressure into said auxiliary sleeve against the piston valve end slidable therein to move the same in one direction, and regulable means for moving said valve in the opposite direction.

2. A iluld pressure regulator comprising a vertical cylindrical sleeve having a iianged portion at the lower end, a horizontal high pressure inlet connection jacketing said sleeve, a housing constituting a horizontal low pressure outlet connection having a flanged portion removablyJ secured to said flrst ange, an auxiliary cylindrical sleeve concentric with said first sleeve and located within and spaced from said housing at the sides and from said first sleeve at the upper end to provide a port, a port in said first sleeve opening into said first jacket, a longitudinally ported hollow piston valve closed at both ends slidably disposed in said sleeves for regulating communication between said inlet and outlet, a by-pass directing low pressure into said auxiliary sleeve against the piston valve end slidable therein to move the same in one direction, and regulable means for moving said valve in the opposite direction.

3. A fluid pressure regulator comprising a vertical cylindrical sleeve, a horizontal high pressure inlet connection jacketing said sleeve, a housing constituting a horizontal low pressure inlet connection connected to said vertical cylindrical sleeve, an auxiliary cylindrical sleeve concentric with said first sleeve and located within and spaced from said housing at the sides and from said first sleeve at the upper end to provide a port, a port in said rst sleeve opening into said first jacket, a longitudinally ported hollow piston valve closed at both ends slidably disposed in said sleeves for regulating communication between said inlet and outlet, a by-pass directing low pressure into said auxiliary sleeve against the piston valve end slidable therein to move the same in one direction, and regulable means for moving said valve in the opposite direction.

BRAXTON L. ROBART. EARL P. BUELL. 

